Posts from Haven tactics.

I would build a tavern on the first turn: this accomplishes two things at once – we harass his hero (we need to find out if he bought Ingmar or a dwarf) and buy either Dugal or someone else – the main thing is to get more melee units. And with Vittorio, we immediately start rushing. He will definitely get a ballista after the first development, which is exactly what we need. The dwarves have nothing to counter it at the start...

The only downside to this tactic is that it only works on maps where the players are not separated from each other by high-level mobs.

I would rely on Retribution. Adding 15% Tactics to the 25% Retribution, we get a 40% defense increase, 30% of which penetrates the Dwarf's defense. Our attack parameter is comparable to the Dwarf's defense if the Dwarf doesn't take Education, but the remaining 10% normalizes the situation. Machines are a great choice against Dwarves, as is the hero Vittorio. In general, he is unlikely to defeat them with Chaos magic (he might simply not have enough damage), and Light magic simply won't work. As for rushing, it depends on the Dwarf hero. Ingvar or Svea can rush without any problems, but it will be more difficult with Karli, Ibba, Ingvar, and possibly Helmar.

For dealing with creatures, Paladins/Zealots are the best. They are tough and relatively strong (especially after the second upgrade), and they only take 50% damage from ranged attacks. In general, one of my favorite heroes for Humans is Laslo. First, Zealots become incredibly powerful under him. Second, he gains readiness very quickly, which makes further creep development easy. He doesn't need any spells; just take the Haste perk, and then use Inspiration to quickly reach level 3. Instead of Haste, you can take Retribution; it depends on your preference. However, against Stronghold, Necropolis, and Magic heroes, the first option is preferable.

Hello everyone! I decided to create this thread because all the information about tactics and strategy is scattered and much of it is missing. This will be a one-stop shop.
So, what questions would you like to discuss?

1. For me personally, building the Castle takes quite a long time. Mainly because it requires a lot of wood, ore, and crystals. Maybe someone knows of an optimal build order. Or any other tips on this.
2. The game itself, playing as Humans. Should it be a long or a short game? And ideally, how should you behave on the map for, say, one month.
3. Battles. Who are the Humans strong against? Their strengths and weaknesses. Which neutral creatures should you attack, and which should you wait to attack until you have more troops.
4. How to behave on different maps as Humans.
5. Which upgrade is better to choose. Which one is the best.
6. And in general, what are the general rules to follow when playing as Humans.
7. Maybe there is some literature on this topic. Because there is literature on Tactics and Demons, but I haven't found anything about Humans. Or maybe there are links to similar threads on other forums. That's all for now. Let's discuss.

There is no definitive answer to any of these questions, and there can't be. Much depends on the map. Not to mention that everyone has their own play style and opinion.

1. It depends on the availability of resources and the length of the game. I enjoy long games and try to build resource-generating structures first. People need money more than any other race.

2. It 100% depends on the map. The longer the game, the stronger Humans become.

3. Humans are strong against everyone, and vice versa. I attack those I can defeat with minimal losses. The exception is that I try to take out the lumber mill and mine as quickly as possible, regardless of losses. Fortunately, they are usually taken without losses. As my army grows stronger, I try to take out the mines as quickly as possible.

4. It depends on the circumstances.

5. There is a dedicated thread for this.

6. The main strength of Humans is training. If the final battle is expected to take place in a town (usually against AI opponents), I train monks. If it's in the open field (usually against Humans), and there is enough money, I train knights. I try to level up the secondary hero with Skilled Counterattack and Experienced War Leader to reduce the cost of training. Troop gathering is also good.

Thank you. Sometimes, resources are very scarce. What's the best way to act in such situations? How do you develop your town? For example, I first build a town hall and a forge, then buildings that generate income, followed by archers and squires. I usually build griffons last, and I often can't build walls. Maybe I'm not building in the right order. I just clear resources, but there aren't enough of them. So, I understand that it's better to prolong the game with humans. But what should I do if I'm facing a Necromancer or a Dwarf, or Elves with their archers? In the end, Necromancers have many more troops, and so do Dwarves. What should I do then? Although, I really like to prolong the game with humans until the very end. And here's another thing. I can't decide which is better, Paladins or Knights of Isabel.

It's not a big deal that the Necropolis has a lot of troops, since they are weak units. The Necropolis is strong in magic. It's bad when everyone has several castles, and you only have one home castle. For the Necropolis, all castles are like home castles. Then it will really have a large numerical advantage.

If the Knight is lacking resources due to a poor map, then the Dwarf will lack them even more.

In a long game, training provides 20 units of level 6 per week. You can only save yourself from them with berserk or mind control, if the Knight doesn't have antimagic. Well, you can also hit them with divine retribution. But that's after they've done their job. Knight Isabel, with upgraded tactics, can defeat archers along with their support. They can be divided into 2 stacks.

In my opinion, Paladins are better in urban combat, and Knights Isabel are better in open fields. While the castle gates are still standing, Paladins can focus on healing. And in open fields, their job is to attack enemies.

How should a human city be built in terms of development over the weeks (in terms of unit-producing buildings)? I've heard that for any race, all 7 levels should be built within 2 weeks, although it only becomes possible towards the end of the month. Meanwhile, the enemy already has all the levels by that time, especially on their hero. And another question: what's the best way to level up a hero? I usually play with Vittorio on small maps and immediately fully upgrade his buildings with a tent. This way, he deals with neutral creatures with almost no losses. Then, I wait for what drops. Usually, if a skill drops, I immediately fully upgrade it. Or is it better to fill all the slots at once and develop them evenly?

It's difficult to build all unit levels in just 2 weeks. Unless the map has an abundance of resources, and the city doesn't start at level 1. My favorite hero is Dugald. He manages well against neutrals even without machines. I rarely upgrade machines. Before each game, I always make a plan for hero development and try to follow it. Usually, I upgrade attack, defense, luck, leadership, and light. I try to get the basics of the planned skills as quickly as possible. When developing a hero of any race, I prefer to alternate between improving a skill and planning the next ability. The exception is magic; I try to upgrade it to expert as quickly as possible. This often allows me to upgrade everything, or almost everything, that I planned. However, randomness sometimes makes its own adjustments. For example, recently in the Heroes of Might and Magic III campaign, I immediately received leadership for Iolara. I abandoned my initial plan and upgraded her empathy. Wow, she turned out to be a very cool necromancer. In general, I hardly ever play on small maps. I mainly play through Campaigns. And with friends, we play agreed-upon games on medium and large maps. Moreover, I play with the race that I am playing through in the campaign. Therefore, I have played with all races. And I haven't found one that dominates everyone on any map.

Dugald is good because of his quick access to Fire Arrows. He looks great in a short game, as machines are often offered to players. Recently, Laslo has become my favorite hero. In battle, the opponent usually focuses on angels, knights, griffons, and crossbowmen, but definitely not on level 3 units, even if the hero specializes in them. In the end, they almost reach the enemy unscathed and begin their insidious work. The only problem is the enemy's magic. They can be easily neutralized with Darkness. It is worth considering this when choosing a hero. Again, there may be antimagic in the guild. And if you get Teleport, that's even better. In no case should you be afraid to throw them into the thick of the battle if it's the final battle. They will endure. And for the Inquisitors, it is desirable to cast Stone Skin and then Haste. Even if the enemy crushes them, they will leave the knights and archers unattended. In any case, you will be in a favorable position. But, I repeat, if the opponent has not outleveled you by several levels and there is no significant numerical advantage, then he simply cannot defeat the Zealots.

When breaking through with Laslo, the Zealots still play the main role. At first, it will not be easy; the unupgraded swordsmen are not that strong and resilient, so you should just hurry up with their upgrade. I also start converting archers into swordsmen around weeks 2-3. I try to upgrade Readiness and Retribution. If there is Readiness, then the Zealots, standing in defense, easily defeat any melee units, especially if they are large creatures.

Darkness is also a good choice for the knight. There is a topic about this nearby. I want to point out that the Vampirism spell is not only a good way to strengthen a combat squad but also an excellent way to dispel Confusion, Berserk, Plague, or Dominate. It is very important not to forget about this. Sometimes, in the absence of Remove Curse or un-upgraded Light magic, the spell can even be used in battles against the undead.

That's all for now

I recently played a game and tried playing as Vittorio. I used a combination of Ballista, Knights of Isabel, and Catapult when sieging the city of Bali. In the very first turn, the gates were destroyed, and then a group of knights charged in, and the enemy didn't have any defenses. I played on a large map and didn't upgrade the troop tent yet, as there will be plenty of time for that. That's it. Plus, I had luck, leadership, and attack bonuses. I didn't upgrade light magic, but it would have made it even easier. I completely rebuilt the city in 4 weeks, and nothing bad happened. I played against Necropolis. The most dangerous units were the Harbingers and a thousand archers, but they were gone after a couple of turns. They were fragile. Anyway, I won.

Respect to the author of the topic. Finally, there is a thread where the discussion of tactics should take place (Whirlwind, I think now we can remove all the other unnecessary stuff?). 1. Standard build for the first week. Gold, peasants, market, forge, halberdiers, griffins, archers. In an order that is convenient for the given map, based on the amount of resources, etc. This is a standard, and you should strive for it if you are not trying to play your own strategies on a specific map (by the way, there are maps where there is no tavern at the start, so you will have to cut something else). On all maps, there are freely available resources, mills, etc. You need to clear them with support units. Sometimes it happens that you can find 15+ gold on the starting resource, and sometimes you can't find even 5. It's all luck. People depend more on gold, so if you have a choice of which mine to capture on the first day, you should capture gold, and wood on the next, if you don't have enough movement points. 2. The vast majority of Tournaments are played with a random starting hero. The strategy depends most on the hero. As Whirlwind said above, Dugal is definitely a rush hero. Vitto is forbidden, but it's an even more definite rush. Rutger is also in this category. Axel, Laslo are heroes for whom it is desirable to finish the game in any possible way, because they need to level up for a decent amount of time to give noticeable bonuses to the troops. Ellaina, Mephala, Iris are heroes suitable for medium-length games. If you are playing (with the ability to choose a hero) on a small map, then you should choose Vittorio, Rutger, Dugal. The others are distributed accordingly. 2 Boris K. Perhaps I am wrong, but it seems to me that you have very little experience playing against real people. Because machines usually level up people in the vast majority of cases (read the reports of online tournaments on various resources). And Dugal himself ordered to level up machines. 3. People are not a dungeon, unfortunately, and it is difficult to clear the hordes of neutrals in the first week. We usually clear levels 1-3, trying to avoid archers. In the second week, we will have red crossbowmen with an upgraded ballista - we can start being more aggressive, but we don't go to heavy casters and level 6-7. These are general tips. I can give more detailed information about each map, what and in what order I clear, but I need to refresh these knowledge first, I apologize. Quote: The main strength of humans is training. If the final battle is supposed to take place in the city (usually against computers), I train monks. If in the open field (usually against people), and there is enough money, I train knights. I try to upgrade the auxiliary hero with skilled counterattack and experienced commander to reduce the cost of training. Troop gathering is also good. 2 Boris K I don't think that when playing online with a real opponent, you can build training halls at all. There are no resources and no time. So the main strength of humans is definitely not in training. The main strength of humans is in machines, logistics, and red crossbowmen under the blessing spell. And, of course, in two of the strongest schools of magic, but it is not always possible to build them completely. Because each requires 5 gold and 5 wood. 4. I can't give an answer to this question yet. I need a specific map name. 5. I have drastically changed my opinion about upgrades, so I will express it here (by the way, don't you think it's silly to look for all the tactics in one place, and information about upgrades in another, and about magic in a third?). a) I build the upgrade for peasants to increase the city level. Nothing else. In the second week (this is the latest I've done in my practice), Ellaina will appear - blue robes will bring money, and that's all that is needed. b) Red crossbowmen, and only them. c) Defensive - halberdiers. Offensive - zealots. d) Clearing neutrals - royal. Further, depending on the situation. Planning to attack - royal, defending (in your own castle, for example) - combat. e) Half and half, for casting spells. f) Knights of Isabel with upgraded tactics are something else. And even without upgraded tactics. Period. Quote: Knights of Isabel with upgraded tactics destroy archers along with their support... Unfortunately, we are not the only ones who know this... And everyone is upgrading tactics too ((But no one has canceled +1 speed boots. g) I don't always get to this. Usually, I just stick to the regular ones. But probably I prefer the old ones. 6) Well, if I'm being honest, the main strength of Haven is a skilled player playing as them. That's all, I guess. I'll add more later.

ValgallaWolf, I only play HotS with people on fairly large maps. And even then, we don't attack each other until we've defeated all the computer opponents. So, it turns out to be a rather long game, and we almost always get around to training our heroes. I've never played online. There, of course, a different tactic is needed. And I'm most skilled at completing campaigns.

Machines are often offered to players in any game. I just prefer to take other skills. In a long game, skills that enhance the strength of units are more useful than machines, which a good Chaos Knight can destroy with a single Magic Damage attack (IMHO). Machines are good in a short game. I upgraded Ornelle's machines in the first mission until she transformed into a Necromancer.

You are absolutely right. I probably didn't understand what you were talking about right away. But one Magic Defender won't do the trick (without a cloak or Warlock's Luck).

ValgallaWolf, even if the ballista isn't immediately destroyed, in a long game with large armies, I prefer to buff all units rather than just one ballista. IMO, attack, defense, luck, and leadership with empathy will provide more benefit than machines. The damage, even from an upgraded ballista, is incomparable to the damage from a strong stack of units.

I only upgrade machines for Druids (and even then, only if they level up quickly enough) for the Chaos-enchanted ballista, and for Orcs for the Siege Attack ability.

Hello everyone, comrades. I have a bunch of questions that have accumulated. I've been playing Heroes since the first installment, and I've only now decided to register here and get a new dose of information to ponder. I'll say right away that I prefer to play on medium-sized maps or smaller ones; games with 5000 skeletons and 900 titans don't appeal to me. Heroes that I can choose as my main preference are Axel or Dugald. I haven't played with Laslo because Crusaders aren't as impressive as they are in the third installment. If I'm wrong, please advise on how to develop him effectively. Now, let's move on to questions about skill selection. First, there's Machine Management. I've read here that many people take it for Knights, but I don't see the point at all. The damage from a ballista is nowhere near as good as a good stack of warriors. Please, if it's not too much trouble, explain to the fans of ballistics why it's so good, because it takes up an entire skill slot. Now, let's talk about build orders. Axel. I think I should specialize exclusively in attack and tailor the skills accordingly. Attack -> Tactics -> Battle Fury -> Haste (or Mass Haste) Defense -> Reflection -> Dodge -> Resistance Luck -> Magic Resistance -> Soldier's Luck -> Deadly Luck Leadership -> Rally -> Inspiration -> Empathy Logistics -> Pathfinding -> Death Stride -> Native Lands This build order doesn't include Light Magic or Dark Magic. It's not entirely clear how important they are for Knights. Mass Haste and Mass Stone Skin can be obtained through perks. Is it worth sacrificing something to take a magic school? Tactics are needed so that Knights can reach enemies occupying one square on the first turn. Battle Fury +1 damage to crowds of low-level units is also useful. Then, there is some difficulty in choosing between Haste or Mass Haste. In defense, it's also unclear whether magic resistance is important, whether protection from archers is needed if the enemy relies on them, and whether it's worth investing in Mass Stone Skin. I think luck is clear: when you rush across the map and strike with luck, further arguments are unnecessary. Leadership is taken so that troops move more often and the bonus to Haste is higher. Logistics are clear: to move further. This is basically how I build Axel. Dugald is the complete opposite, and he should be played defensively, relying on a large number of archers protected by spearmen. Dugald levels up much faster; by the second week, you get approximately 55-60 archers (old ones). You can easily clear out four-square warriors of level 6 with them. For example, in my last game, I easily defeated 15 upgraded Deaths with scythes. This is due to armor piercing. I prefer old spearmen here to shield the archers. And, of course, mass recruitment of peasants into archers. Attack -> Tactics -> Battle Fury -> Archery Defense -> Steadfastness -> Defensive Stance -> Readiness Luck -> Magic Resistance -> Soldier's Luck -> Deadly Luck Leadership -> Light or Dark Magic. Logistics -> Pathfinding -> Death Stride -> Native Lands I would very much like to hear comments and suggestions, but only well-argued ones. And for those who really like Laslo, describe the tactics of fighting with him, with skills. All, of course, for relatively fast-paced maps, with heroes reaching around 18-20 levels in the final. That's basically what I wanted to say. P.S. Thank you all in advance.